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Topic Review
Biological Activities of Thiophenes
Thiophenes represent a small family of natural metabolites featured by one to five thiophene rings. Numerous plant species belonging to the family Asteraceae commonly produce thiophenes. These metabolites possessed remarkable bioactivities, including antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, larvicidal, antioxidant, insecticidal, cytotoxic, and nematicidal properties.
  • 472
  • 16 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Characterization of Sodium-Alginate-Based Hydrogels
Alginates are polysaccharides that are produced naturally and can be isolated from brown sea algae and bacteria. Sodium alginate (SA) is utilized extensively in the field of biological soft tissue repair and regeneration owing to its low cost, high biological compatibility, and quick and moderate crosslinking.
  • 472
  • 14 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Natural Products from Reniera Sponges
Reniera is one subgenus of Haliclona sponges and has a soft texture and brownish-maroon epidermis, and its body looks like a compressed tree with simple digitate branches and spicules of various sizes and harbors a special arrangement of the flagellated chambers in the incurrent and excurrent canal systems.
  • 471
  • 02 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Single-Cell Analysis of Metallodrugs
Platinum compounds such as cisplatin (cisPt) embody the backbone of combination chemotherapy protocols against advanced lung cancer. However, their efficacy is primarily limited by inherent or acquired platinum resistance, the origin of which has not been fully elucidated yet, although of paramount interest.
  • 471
  • 09 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Transformation  of the Role of the Pharmacist
Pharmacy emerged as an identifiable profession emanating from a nebulous background in which various actors delved in medicinal science and other aspects of healthcare. The profession of the pharmacist as a dispenser of medicines is expanding. The pharmacist’s activities are also progressing into new healthcare fields. 
  • 471
  • 15 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Use of Letermovir for Cytomegalovirus Prophylaxis
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) is mainly due to an increase of latent viremia in previously exposed patients. Furthermore, CMV reactivation in this setting has a significant impact on patient survival. Traditional approach to CMV reactivation post allo-HSCT was a pre-emptive treatment with antivirals in the case of increased viremia. A new antiviral compound, letermovir, has been introduced in clinical practice and is deeply changing the common CMV approach. The toxicity profile of letermovir allowed its use in prophylaxes in patients at high risk of CMV reactivation.
  • 471
  • 09 May 2023
Topic Review
BMVs for Drug Delivery Applications
Numerous factors need to be considered to develop a nanodrug delivery system that is biocompatible, non-toxic, easy to synthesize, cost-effective, and feasible for scale up over and above their therapeutic efficacy. With regards to this, worldwide, exosomes, which are nano-sized vesicles obtained from mammalian cells, are being explored as a biomimetic drug delivery system that has superior biocompatibility and high translational capability. However, the economics of undertaking large-scale mammalian culture to derive exosomal vesicles for translation seems to be challenging and unfeasible. Recently, Bacterial Membrane Vesicles (BMVs) derived from bacteria are being explored as a viable alternative as biomimetic drug delivery systems that can be manufactured relatively easily at much lower costs at a large scale. Until now, BMVs have been investigated extensively as successful immunomodulating agents, but their capability as drug delivery systems remains to be explored in detail. 
  • 471
  • 24 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Diet, Obesity, and Depression
Obesity and depression co-occur in a significant proportion of the population. Mechanisms linking the two disorders include the immune and the endocrine system, psychological and social mechanisms. 
  • 468
  • 12 May 2021
Topic Review
Proadrenomedullin in Sepsis/Septic Shock
Sepsis and septic shock represent a leading cause of mortality in the Emergency Department (ED) and in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). For these life-threating conditions, different diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers have been studied. Proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM) is a biomarker that can predict organ damage and the risk of imminent death in patients with septic shock.
  • 468
  • 08 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Equipoise in Immunotherapy Era. Treating Autoimmunity or Cancer
Numerous immunotherapeutic agents, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), have been approved for the treatment of genitourinary (GU) malignancies. While ICIs have improved treatment outcomes and expanded treatment options, they can cause immune-related adverse events (irAEs). 
  • 468
  • 21 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Small GTPase RhoA Signaling in Pathogenesis of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is one of the most serious psychiatric disorders and is characterized by reductions in both brain volume and spine density in the frontal cortex. RhoA belongs to the RAS homolog (Rho) family and plays critical roles in neuronal development and structural plasticity via Rho-kinase. RhoA activity is regulated by GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) and guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs). Several variants in GAPs and GEFs associated with RhoA have been reported to be significantly associated with schizophrenia.
  • 468
  • 31 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Potential Benefits of Herbal Medicines in Lupus Conditions
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease involving multiple organs and clinical manifestations. The Latin word lupus, meaning wolf, was in the medical literature prior to the 1200s to describe skin lesions that devour flesh, and the resources available to physicians to help people were limited. The present text reviews the ethnobotanical and pharmacological aspects of medicinal plants and purified molecules from natural sources with efficacy against lupus conditions. Among these molecules are artemisinin and its derivatives, antroquinonol, baicalin, curcumin, emodin, mangiferin, salvianolic acid A, triptolide, the total glycosides of paeony (TGP), and other supplements such as fatty acids and vitamins. In addition, medicinal plants, herbal remedies, mushrooms, and fungi that have been investigated for their effects on different lupus conditions through clinical trials, in vivo, in vitro, or in silico studies are reviewed. A special emphasis was placed on clinical trials, active phytochemicals, and their mechanisms of action. This discussion can be helpful for researchers in designing new goal-oriented studies. It can also help practitioners gain insight into recent updates on supplements that might help patients suffering from lupus conditions.
  • 468
  • 26 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Neurodegenerative Disorders Characterized by Mitochondrial Involvement
Neurodegenerative diseases comprise a wide spectrum of pathologies characterized by progressive loss of neuronal functions and structures. Despite having different genetic backgrounds and etiology, many studies have highlighted a point of convergence in the mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration: mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress have been observed in different pathologies, and their detrimental effects on neurons contribute to the exacerbation of the pathological phenotype at various degrees.
  • 467
  • 08 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Advice of Medicine Shortages in Europe
The following recommendations should be considered to handle the issue of drug shortages more effectively in Europe. Since drug shortages do not respect borders and cross-country collaboration would be beneficial for more effective shortage management, a unified European definition and reporting criteria of shortages would be necessary to assure internationally consistent monitoring, reporting, comparisons, responses, and solutions. National authorities across Europe should be aware of shortages through coordinated systems, increasing cross-country transparency, and facilitating solutions in every country. It was a significant step forward in the European Union that in July 2019, the EMA published the “Guidance on detection and notification of shortages of medicinal products for Marketing Authorisation Holders in the Union”. The document contains the effort to facilitate the more uniform reporting and communication of drug shortages and create a harmonization “drug shortage” definition. The document “Good practice guidance for communication to the public on medicines availability issues”contains communication guidelines for the national authorities and the EMA for patients and healthcare professionals.
  • 466
  • 06 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Mechanisms of Neurorespiratory Toxicity Induced by Fentanyl Analogs
In 2020, fentanyl and its analogs contributed to ~65% of drug-attributed fatalities in the USA, with a threatening increasing trend during the last ten years. These synthetic opioids used as potent analgesics in human and veterinary medicine have been diverted to recreational aims, illegally produced and sold. Like all opioids, central nervous system depression resulting from overdose or misuse of fentanyl analogs is characterized clinically by the onset of consciousness impairment, pinpoint miosis and bradypnea. However, contrasting with what observed with most opioids, thoracic rigidity may occur rapidly with fentanyl analogs, contributing to increasing the risk of death in the absence of immediate life support. Various mechanisms have been proposed to explain this particularity associated with fentanyl analogs, including the activation of noradrenergic and glutamatergic coerulospinal neurons and dopaminergic basal ganglia neurons. Due to the high affinities to the mu-opioid receptor, the need for more elevated naloxone doses than usually required in morphine overdose to reverse the neurorespiratory depression induced by fentanyl analogs has been questioned. 
  • 466
  • 03 May 2023
Topic Review
Nanomedicine for Pediatric Healthcare
Pediatrics is the field of medicine that centers on physical, social, and mental health from birth to the end of adolescence. Nanotechnology has received enthusiasm among the scientific community, particularly in medicine and pharmaceutical fields, due to its potential to incorporate diagnostic and treatment tools in the same nanocarrier, enhance targetability to specific organs, decrease toxicity, and potentially reduce treatment schedules. At the same time, it provides a tool to increase patient compliance, which is an essential task concerning the pediatric population.
  • 465
  • 20 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Drug Interaction of Sorafenib and Morphine
A combination of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor—sorafenib—and the opioid analgesic—morphine—can be found in the treatment of cancer patients. Since both are substrates of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), and sorafenib is also an inhibitor of P-gp, their co-administration may affect their pharmacokinetics, and thus the safety and efficacy of cancer therapy. 
  • 464
  • 23 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis and Atherosclerosis
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the most severe manifestation of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a common complication of type 2 diabetes, and may lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Oxidative stress and liver cell damage are the major triggers of the severe hepatic inflammation that characterizes NASH, which is highly correlated with atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. 
  • 464
  • 27 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Cell-Penetrating Peptides Applications
Since their identification over twenty-five years ago, the plethora of cell-penetrating peptides (CPP) and their applications has skyrocketed. These 5 to 30 amino acid in length peptides have the unique property of breaching the cell membrane barrier while carrying cargoes larger than themselves into cells in an intact, functional form. CPPs can be conjugated to fluorophores, activatable probes, radioisotopes or contrast agents for imaging tissues, such as tumors. There is no singular mechanism for translocation of CPPs into a cell, and therefore, many CPPs are taken up by a multitude of cell types, creating the challenge of tumor-specific translocation and hindering clinical effectiveness. Varying strategies have been developed to combat this issue and enhance their diagnostic potential by derivatizing CPPs for better targeting by constructing specific cell-activated forms. These methods are currently being used to image integrin-expressing tumors, breast cancer cells, human histiocytic lymphoma and protease-secreting fibrosarcoma cells, to name a few. Additionally, identifying safe, effective therapeutics for malignant tumors has long been an active area of research. CPPs can circumvent many of the complications found in treating cancer with conventional therapeutics by targeted delivery of drugs into tumors, thereby decreasing off-target side effects, a feat not achievable by currently employed conventional chemotherapeutics. Myriad types of chemotherapeutics such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors, antitumor antibodies and nanoparticles can be functionally attached to these peptides, leading to the possibility of delivering established and novel cancer therapeutics directly to tumor tissue.
  • 463
  • 29 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase in Central Nervous System
The dysregulated activation of nNOS in neurons is critical in the development of different conditions affecting the SNC. An excessive production of NO by nNOS is responsible for a number of proteins’ posttranslational modifications (PTMs) which can lead to aberrant biochemical pathways, impairing the SNC functions. Researchers briefly revised the main implications of the dysregulated nNOS activation in the progression of the most prevalent CNS diseases, suggesting that compounds able to modulate the nNOS activity could be  promising therapeutics to tackle different neuronal pathologic conditions.
  • 463
  • 10 Oct 2023
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